Rail-brace.



R. SARGENT.

RAIL BRAGB. APPLICATION FILED $1113.18, 1914.

Patented June 23, 1914.

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ROBERT SARGENT, 0F LAONA, WISCONSIN.

RAIL-BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed February 18, 1914. Serial No. 819,374.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT SARGENT, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Laona, in the county of Forestand State of WVisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Rail-Brace, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a brace comprising clamp members adapted toengage track rails at the outer sides, and united by a turnbuckle orequivalent to tighten or loosen the clamp members as desired. Associatedwith the clamp members are bearing plates seating against the rails andmeans associated with the clamps to engage the rails at the inside.

The invention resides in the novel co-acting' elements or formations onthe clamps and bearing plates, and in appurtenant elements hereinaftermore particularly described. Reference is to be had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section througha track showing myinvention applied thereto, the section being indicated by line 1-1 Fig.2; Fig. 2 is a plan view; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bearingplate to be engaged by clamps at the outside of the rails.

In constructing a practical embodiment of the invention for applicationto track rails A supported on ties or other supports B, a clamp member10 is provided to engage the respective rails of the track, each clampcomprising diverging forked arms, the outer ends of which are formedwith upturned ends 11. The inner end of each clamp member is providedwith a shank member 12, the shanks of opposite clamps being formed withright and left threads which are engaged by a turnbuckle 13 which receives lock nuts 14.

Associated with each clamp member 10 is a chair 15 on which the rail Amay seat, the clamp arms having depressions 10 which receive saidchairs. Integral with each chair is a bearing plate 16, formed at itsinner side to conform to the side face of a rail, the said bearingplates having a longitudinally ranging recess or depression 17 at theupper inner angle positioned to receive the adjacent side of the railhead. At the base the hearing plate 16 overhangs the chair 15, toproduce a longitudinal recess 18 for accommodation of the rail flange.

The outer face of the bearing plate 16 and the projections 11 of theclamps 10, have a mating formation which results in an effectivegripping of the bearing plate by the clamp. Thus in the outer face ofthe bearing plate 16 depressions 19 are formed, which are defined bythree-sided flanges or ribs 20, the bottom and inner wall of therecesses presenting inclines as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The inner faces11 of the projections 11 on the clamps have a corresponding bevel toseat against the inclines on the hearing plate. The recesses inthebearing plate are spaced a distance corresponding with the spacebetween the projections 11 of a clamp, and when the clamps and bearingplates are in position, the turnbuckle may bel employed to firmly bindthe parts in p ace. may be reversed to release the bearing plate 16 andpermit a convenient removal of the latter.

At the inside of the rails clamp plates 21 are employed, the inner endsof which incline upwardly to correspond in general with the flange ofthe rail. Bolts 23 and nuts 24 serve to secure the clamp plates 21 tothe clamps 10. When the device is to be employed on a rail joint anangle bar 25 is employed between a clamp 21 and a rail, but the saidangle bar may be omitted where the device is employed on the rails otherthan a joint. Thus the device is primarily useful as a rail brace,particularly on curves, although it may be employed elsewhere on thetrack so as to brace the rails against separating movement where heavylocomotives are employed. When the angle bars 25 are omitted, the clamps21 may be adjusted on the clamps 10 so as to come to a bearing directlyagainst the flanges of the rails at the inside. To provide for theadjustment and the secure holding of the clamps 21 when in the adjustedposition, two or more bolt holes 26 are formed in each diverging arm ofa clamp 10, for receiving the bolts 23 in diflerent positions accordingto whether the angle bars 25 are employed oromitted.

The opposed surfaces of the clamp 10 and the members 21 have matingcorrugations 27,

28, that interlock when the nuts 24 of the bolts 23 are tightened.

On the other hand the turnbuckle Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A rail brace comprising clamps for the respective rails, connectingmeans serving to tighten or loosen the clamps, each clamp comprisingdiverging arms terminating in upward projections adapted to bepositioned at the outsides of the track rails and with depressionsadjacent to said projections, rail chairs received by said clamps in thede pressions thereof and provided with bearing plates adapted to bearagainst the rails at the outside, said bearing plates having exteriorrecesses corresponding in position with the terminals of the divergingarms of the clamps, said recesses presenting upwardly inclined innerwalls and the opposed faces of the projections at the terminals of theclamps being beveled to correspond with the said inclined seats, andmeans carried by said clamps and adapted to engage the rails at theinside.

2. A rail brace, comprising clamps for the respective rails, connectingmeans serving to tighten or loosen the clamps, each clamp comprisingdiverging arms adapted to extend beneath therails and formed with upwardprojections at the outer ends, and bear- Gopies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofWashington, D. 0.

inclined surfaces and beveled faces extend- 7 ing respectively to thebases of the bearing plates and to the bases of the projections.

3. A rail brace, comprising clamps-for the respective rails, connectingmeans serving to tighten or loosen the clamps, each clamp comprisingdiverging arms adapted to extend beneath the track rails and'havingupwardly projecting members, bearing plates against which the saidprojections bear to press the bearing plates against the rails, at theoutsides, and a separate clamp member on each arm of each clampadaptedto overlie the rails at the inside, and means for adjustablyholding said clamp members onthe said arms.

In witness whereof I have'signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. 7

ROBERT SARGENT.

Witnesses: T s 7 JOHN D. KIssINcER, HERMAN J. SCHMIDT.

Patents,

